Irvine community back together for a holiday dinner and show

Commentator/Courier Photo submitted by Cyndy Lutz Night of Laughter: The Irvine and District Community Association had a very successful evening at their dinner and show at the Irvine Complex on Dec. 9, 2023. The gourmet dinner catered by The Shop Caterer from Maple Creek was a hit and was followed by Doug Arden (comedian, ventriloquist and magician) who with the help of the audience, had the crowd in stitches.

By Anna Smith
Commentator/Courier

The town of Irvine enjoyed a night of community and laughter, as the new Irvine and District Community Association hosted a dinner and a show on December 9.

This is one of the first major events the association has put on, said secretary Cyndy Lutz, but they were pleased to note that overall the evening went off without a hitch.

“When we came back after 20 Mile Post Days, and started talking about the positive things that came out of it, and what we’d like to do to improve that, one of the people in our group, on our Events and Rec Committee, said that she wanted to do something for New Year’s Eve,” said Lutz.

“It was exciting for us right down to decorating. We have a fabulous group of people in that community association that are willing to help out,” said Lutz, taking a moment to thank the roughly 20 people who had put in the work to make this possible.

Initially, the idea had been for much later in the month, but it soon came to light that December 9 was the only day that the complex would be available to be able to host, which is when they decided to bring in a comedian for the evening as entertainment.

“We just decided to go with it. And I had heard through the grapevine that there was a fabulous chef in Maple Creek, The Shop Catering. And we got her involved,” said Lutz.

While the food ended up a touch pricier than they had originally expected, they were still able to meet the need for a meal for a full house of 235 people, well above what the association had expected for attendance.

“All we did was really Facebook and phone calls. People that we know love this kind of stuff that are in our community and put up posters, and I think we had 50 posters plastered all over the place to try to bring people in. And then my husband got on the phone,” said Lutz, “because you know a lot of people who aren’t on Facebook also don’t do email.”

Those called were thrilled with the idea, and asked to be included on future calling lists, noted Lutz.

The evening itself was magical, with current residents and former Irvine faces alike coming together to enjoy themselves and reconnect as a community.

“I will never forget the sound of the conversation,” said Lutz. “Sometimes when you’re in a room with a whole bunch of people, it’s just a bunch of noise, right? This wasn’t noise. This was everybody so excited about seeing each other again.”